I just added a new gallery made up of my B&W images showing various houses of worship to be found in my area. Western New York and Ontario have such a long history and the various churches to be found, represent an aspect of the architectural fabric of our community. I like to use a wider lens and dramatic skies for these images to better represent the majesty of the buildings as well as the meaning behind their existence. I have to confess to these compositions being founded in my own vision of the church and it's role in our psyche and everyday lives. At the same time I am fascinated by the beauty of the structures and the history they represent.

After our most recent two day snowstorm and my endless shoveling I had to get out the moment it ended. I just added an image of the Niagara River to the front page. This was photographed at golden hour looking across the Niagara River towards the frozen shore of Goat Island. The top of the American Falls can be seen on the right edge. By the time I was done all my gear and myself were coated in ice. It was about 20 degrees and the wind was blowing west to east. It was all worth it in the end I think.

I really think that some of my best images come through working in the worst conditions. I am also amazed sometimes at which images turn out the best. I shot a few panorama runs of this image (4-6 images each). In the end the one that had the best light was the single image test shot that I made at the beginning of golden hour. As the light got more yellow I lost the crisp coldness that stands out so strongly in this image.

It has been a very mild winter here in Western New York, so mild in fact that Red-Wing Blackbirds and Grackles showed up a few weeks. I have spent time out and about photographing the early migration with great shots of paired raptors, massive flights of Canada and Snow Geese, even a few Sandhill Cranes. However, at this point they probably wish they had waited a bit longer. The temperatures took a deep dive last week and today we have had at least a foot of snow come down. This isn't any big deal for us in the Buffalo area but these birds may well have a hard time surviving in this cold and snow. Spring can't come soon enough. I have posted a few new photos that show non-snow covered landscapes to get us all through this late winter storm.

I'm off to Las Vegas on April 10th for a week with my sweetie. I used to live there and plan to limit my casino time with many trips out and about. Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston and The Valley of Fire to name a few spots. I'm trying to press upon Michelle that there is more to Vegas than the Strip. Should be fun and I'm hoping for some great images.

I have been home from California for a week now and the wonderful time spent photographing there has finally been fully absorbed. I am very fortunate to have such generous friends in Pacific Grove who allowed me to watch their home while they were in Hawaii. I am still wading through tons of images taken over the two and a half weeks spent there but I have uploaded a gallery today with some of the best images so far. I hope everyone enjoys them. I am especially proud of my "Lone Cypress" image along with a number of other landscapes. The rocky coastline lends itself well to both color and B&W images. I am sure I will have a small lust of spots that I would like to have a second shot at in the future. In the meantime I am back to gray skies and impending snow storms so a completely different kind of though process will be in order over the next few months. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

I am currently in California, staying in Pacific Grove (Central Coast). I have been lucky enough to spend 2.5 weeks photographing up and down the coast. This is an exciting time for me as my skills grow and my portfolio grows. Stay tuned for many new images.

Happy November everyone! Happy to say that November is a great month for me. My local photography work is currently on display here in Buffalo at Parables Gallery and Gifts at 1027 Elmwood Ave. The show will be open all month so if you are in the area, stop in and see what is on offer. Besides framed images in both color and B&W, you will also find greeting cards with my work on them.

I just updated the site and added a gallery of images from my October visit to Acadia National Park for the Fall foliage season. I spent a week there participating in a workshop with Robert Rodriguez Jr., one of my favorite landscape photographers. I had some great opportunities to hone my compositional skills and I think it shows in my current work.

I will be spending the last half of November in Monterey California and hope to spend everyday out documenting the Central and Northern California coastline. My goal is to put together an exhibit of work showing East Coast/West Coast images, speaking to the need for ocean conservation. So you can look forward to that gallery update in December.

Remember, all of my images are available as prints, matted and framed or unframed, all sizes. I print all of my images personally, up to 13 X 19, and outsource anything larger, or on canvas or metal. Contact me for pricing and information. I hope to have an Etsy store up and running sometime in December.

I stopped on my way to Toronto Saturday (9/10/16) at Fifty Mile Point Conservation Park near Grimsby Ontario with plans to shoot a number of shots of the old pilings set against a very grey, stormy Lake Ontario. Four photos in and I got absolutely soaked by a shower that snuck up behind me. I did get one good image out of the stop however and will definitely return again.

This really points to preparedness, knowing your conditions, planning your vision as far in advance as possible, and making the most of the time you have. I had come to this location for the first time, based on the images of someone else whose work I greatly respect. I had an idea of what I wanted to accomplish and given the time I feel I would have gotten a number of really good images. The conditions weren't great and the stop wasn't my primary focus for the day. I never saw the rain coming until it was too late and I did try to stick it out. In the end I came home with one image that I am exceedingly proud of and a greater understanding of the location and it's potential for the future. Most likely any future trips will not have the same conditions so this image is a singular event that will most likely not be repeated. That is what makes landscape photography such a rewarding experience.

So after a few years of learning my craft I have decided to start a blog about what I do and where I go to shoot my visions of this part of the world. I have only been seriously shooting for a couple of years but I am semi-retired so I have the luxury of working on honing my skills every day.

I started as a birder and the photo was all about proving I saw the bird in question. Somewhere along the way I began thinking more about the photo and less about the bird. One thing led to another and now I consider myself a recorder of Nature, Wildlife and the general Urban/Rural existence here in Western New York and Southern Ontario.

My desire with this blog is to show where my travels take me, what I see along the way, and how I create the images that appear on the site, this blog, Facebook, 500px, Viewbug, and Flikr. Feel free to ask questions or comment on what you see here.

Jim's Vision

I want to document my photographic journey through life, what I see, how I see it, and how I process my images to present to the rest of the world. Not my first blog and I know how hard it can be to keep up but I will do my best to inform, educate and entertain.